Mitla, a temple city of the Zapotecs. Mitla is derived of mictlán, land of the dead. The Zapotecs moved them power basis to this temple city. (after departure from monte albán 700-800 B.C.) There are underground and overground tombs. The Zapoteken left Mitla in the 11th century. And also this city was taken over by the Mixtecs. Mitla was inhabited when the Spaniards came.

Grupo de las Columnas.

Buildings with long rooms around the central square.

Templo de las Columnas.

6 enormous pillars which carried wooden rafter and large roof in the former days.

Geometrical figures, what shoes us the Mixtecs influence. At them no images of gods, people or animals occurred.

The column of life, the Columna de la Vida.

You embrace the column and afterwards you measure the space between your finger tops. Between that space between your finger tops you measure how many times you can put your hands between.
The number of "hands" x 4 would predict how many years you still have to live!!!

The column is sometimes called 'the column of death'... aiii....